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SHUFFLING ALONG OFFENSIVE LINE YIELDS GOOD RESULTS FOR GIANTS

"While the sheer volume of injuries the New York
Giants have had in 2011 is a marvel in and of itself, there has scarcely
been a more bizarre set of injuries for a given team. About two weeks ago,
starting left tackle William Beatty went down for the season with a detached
retina in his eye. This past week, Stacy
Andrews was placed on injured reserve with blood clots in his lungs, while
center David
Baas is undergoing tests to determine the relationship between a neck injury
he suffered and intense migraines.

All of this could only mean disaster for the Giants offensive line right?

Wrong.

Last week against the Green Bay Packers, the Giants used their 5th offensive
line combination of the season to the tune of arguably their best results. The
team averaged five yards per rushing attempt, 1.7 yards ahead of their season
average of 3.3, which is good for dead last in the NFL.

Kevin
Boothe started at center, Mitch
Petrus at left guard, and David
Diehl at left tackle. Boothe has turned out to be one of the most valuable
players on the team in 2011, starting in three different positions on the line.
Diehlhas done admirably at left tackle on very short notice, and Mitch
Petrus was impressive in his first career start at left guard.

In truth, this was the residue of design.

For example, Jim
Cordle, brought on as an undrafted free agent out of Ohio State, started four positions along the offensive line while at Ohio
State. The Giants value the versatility of linemen above anything else.

David Deihlhas also played four spots along the offensive line in nine years
with the Giants.

Mitch
Petrus, who has not seen much playing time over the course of his 1st two
seasons in New York,
was surprisingly effective in handling the likes of B.J. Rajifor most of the
day. Petrus may not have had enough of a grasp on the offensive system or shown
enough in practice to earn a jersey for the better part of this season, but he
was known in college for being a gamer.

In one start in the NFL, Petrus is proving why he could be well on his way to
maintaining that reputation on the next level."

“Never argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience.” MB Rule # 1